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Western Massachusetts Breaking News, WeatherTue, 03 Mar 2015 20:19:15 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/http://0.gravatar.com/blavatar/82beb0f66fcee4174912ea30f52087cc?s=96&d=http%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.png » Entertainmenthttp://wwlp.com
Spotify’s Top 10 most streamed trackshttp://wwlp.com/ap/spotifys-top-10-most-streamed-tracks-13/
http://wwlp.com/ap/spotifys-top-10-most-streamed-tracks-13/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 20:16:32 +0000http://wwlp.com/ap/spotifys-top-10-most-streamed-tracks-13/]]>The following list represents the most streamed tracks on Spotify, based on the number of people who shared it divided by the number who listened to it, from Monday, Feb. 23 to Sunday, March 2 via Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Spotify.

The downtown New York festival announced half its slate Thursday, previewing the films that will play in competition. The festival will feature documentaries across a wide spectrum of subjects, including: “Indian Point,” on the New York nuclear facility; “Havana Motor Club,” on muscle cars in Cuba; “Tom Swift and his Electric Rifle,” on police use of stun guns; and “Very Semi-Serious,” about New Yorker cartoons.

Among the dramatic entries are “The Adderall Diaries,” an adaption of Stephen Elliott’s memoir starring James Franco, and “Franny,” a drama starring Richard Gere and Dakota Fanning.

The festival runs April 15-26. It will open with the “Saturday Night Live” documentary “Live From New York!”

]]>http://wwlp.com/ap/tribeca-film-festival-announces-half-of-slate/feed/0Tue, 03 Mar 2015 20:16:26 +0000linrobbiebyrdSpotify’s Top 10 most streamed trackshttp://wwlp.com/ap/spotifys-top-10-most-streamed-tracks-12/
http://wwlp.com/ap/spotifys-top-10-most-streamed-tracks-12/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 19:55:59 +0000http://wwlp.com/ap/spotifys-top-10-most-streamed-tracks-12/]]>The following list represents the most streamed tracks on Spotify, based on the number of people who shared it divided by the number who listened to it, from Monday, Feb. 23 to Sunday, March 2 via Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Spotify.

UNITED STATES

1. Ellie Goulding, “Love Me Like You Do – From “Fifty Shades Of Grey”” (Republic Records)

2. Mark Ronson, “Uptown Funk” (RCA Records)

3. Ed Sheeran, “Thinking Out Loud” (Atlantic Records UK)

4. Maroon 5, “Sugar” (Interscope Records)

5. The Weeknd, “Earned It – From “Fifty Shades Of Grey”” (Republic Records)

6. Drake, “Energy” (Cash Money Records)

7. Hozier, “Take Me To Church” (Columbia Records)

8. Drake, “Know Yourself” (Cash Money Records)

9. Big Sean, “I Don’t F— With You” (Def Jam)

10. Drake, “10 Bands” (Cash Money Records)

UNITED KINGDOM

1. Ellie Goulding, “Love Me Like You Do – From “Fifty Shades Of Grey”” (Polydor Ltd.)

2. Mark Ronson, “Uptown Funk” (RCA Records)

3. Hozier, “Take Me To Church” (Columbia Records)

4. Ed Sheeran, “Thinking Out Loud” (Atlantic Records UK)

5. Maroon 5, “Sugar” (Interscope Records)

6. Sia, “Elastic Heart” (RCA Records)

7. The Weeknd, “Earned It – From “Fifty Shades Of Grey”” (Republic Records)

8. James Bay, “Hold Back The River” (Republic Records)

9. Alesso, “Heroes (we could be)” (Virgin)

10. Sam Smith, “Like I Can” (Capitol Records)

GLOBAL

1. Mark Ronson, “Uptown Funk” (RCA Records)

2. Ed Sheeran, “Thinking Out Loud” (Atlantic Records UK)

3. Ellie Goulding, “Love Me Like You Do – From “Fifty Shades of Grey”” (Polydor Ltd.)

4. Hozier, “Take Me To Church” (Columbia Records)

5. Maroon 5, “Sugar” (Interscope Records)

6. The Weeknd, “Earned It – From “Fifty Shades Of Grey”” (Republic Records)

]]>http://wwlp.com/ap/spotifys-top-10-most-streamed-tracks-12/feed/0Tue, 03 Mar 2015 20:06:25 +0000linrobbiebyrdChrissie Hynde memoir coming in Septemberhttp://wwlp.com/ap/chrissie-hynde-memoir-coming-in-september/
http://wwlp.com/ap/chrissie-hynde-memoir-coming-in-september/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 19:16:01 +0000http://wwlp.com/ap/chrissie-hynde-memoir-coming-in-september/]]>NEW YORK (AP) — Chrissie Hynde will tell the story of her life, with all its ups and downs.

Penguin Random House announced Tuesday that the Pretenders singer was working on an “an incredibly frank” memoir that will come out Sept. 8. The book is currently untitled.

According to Doubleday, Hynde will write about her childhood in Akron, Ohio, offer a “strikingly intimate portrayal” of the punk rock scene of the 1970s and a “bittersweet” look back at the Pretenders, who had such hits as “Brass in Pocket” and “Talk of the Town,” but lost two original band members to drug-related deaths. Hynde, 63, said in a statement issued through her publisher that she hoped her book would make people dance, have fun, possibly cry and maybe reach for a guitar.

The world’s largest traveling circus of fashion editors, models, buyers and journalists has descended on the French capital, clutching their metro maps and city guides, to cap the ready-to-wear fashion season.

For fall-winter 2015-16, the dizzying 92 scheduled shows mean the nine-day “week” almost tears at the seams, with events starting early in the day and finishing later than ever at night.

Tuesday — day one — saw collections dominated by rising star Anthony Vaccarello, who has been chosen as the creative designer of Versace’s sister line, Versus.

Here’s a look at the highlights:

ANTHONY VACCARELLO’S MATCH MADE IN VERSACE HEAVEN

The Italian-Belgian designer is the fashion man of the moment. One of Paris’ younger emerging talents, Vaccarello has made a name for himself with provocative styles that are revealing without being vulgar. So the announcement this January that Vaccarello would get together with his spiritual sister Donatella Versace to work on her Versus diffusion line looked like a match made in heaven.

In Tuesday’s show, the 32-year-old showed exactly why he’s been tapped by the Italian super-house.

The vibe felt very ’80s and very Italian, with sharp shoulders, studs and thigh-high stripper boots with lashings of black leather and suede. Splits in the side of an asymmetrical little black dress was adorned with sexy belt fastenings. Stars motifs added a feminine twinkle in the collection that seemed to bridge more than ever the similarities between the Versace and the Vaccarello universes.

PARIS CELEBRATES JEANNE LANVIN

Along with Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli, she towered high for decades as one of the pillars of French fashion. Now iconic designer Jeanne Lanvin, who died in 1946, will be honored in a new exhibition opening this week at the Paris City Fashion museum at the Palais Galliera.

The show will be inaugurated by Paris’ Mayor Anne Hidalgo and celebrates Lanvin as being the oldest operating fashion house in France. It’s a rich legacy that has spanned the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.

“Jeanne Lanvin” will run until August 23.

EACH X OTHER

Each X Other describes itself as a “new androgyne collaborative art and fashion brand, a magnetic point where roads cross and people finally meet.”

At their strong debut show in Paris, brand founders Jenny Mannerheim and Ilan Delouis stuck to this mantra and injected a nice whiff of menswear to a highly cool showing of linear styles. With a funky, contemporary art space backdrop at the Palais de Tokyo and a cryptic Goethe quote on the wall, it’s clear this house is trying to set itself up as a space where art meets fashion.

It worked.

Dark, silken jumpsuits with round collars contrasted with the sharp lapels and square shoulders of a menswear tuxedo. Subtle chevron patterning gave a twist to a cream overcoat. And huge textured knitting in an oversize blue cocoon sweater was an invitation to a cuddle.

]]>http://wwlp.com/ap/the-top-10-songs-and-albums-on-the-itunes-store-14/feed/0Tue, 03 Mar 2015 19:06:16 +0000linrobbiebyrdWinfrey’s Harpo Studios in Chicago to close in Decemberhttp://wwlp.com/ap/winfreys-harpo-studios-in-chicago-to-close-in-december/
http://wwlp.com/ap/winfreys-harpo-studios-in-chicago-to-close-in-december/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 18:06:01 +0000http://wwlp.com/ap/winfreys-harpo-studios-in-chicago-to-close-in-december/]]>CHICAGO (AP) — Oprah Winfrey will close Harpo Studios in Chicago, where she filmed “The Oprah Winfrey Show” for more than 20 years, this December, and will transition production for her cable network to a studio in California.

Harpo Studios and the Oprah Winfrey Network made the announcement Tuesday. OWN recently moved into a new studio in West Hollywood, California, and work currently done at Harpo Studios in Chicago will now be done there.

Winfrey sold the Harpo Studios property in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood to a developer last year for about $32 million. She said in a statement Tuesday that Harpo Studios has been a “blessing” in her life and she’s now “looking ahead” to inhabiting her California studio.

The city named the street outside Harpo Studios “Oprah Winfrey Way” in 2011.

Peet’s agent, Peter Cox, said the writer died Monday. He had been diagnosed with cancer several months ago.

Peet wrote young-adult novels, as well as educational children’s books co-authored with his wife Elspeth Graham. He won the 2005 Carnegie Medal for “Tamar,” a historical novel set during World War II.

His first novel for adults, “The Murdstone Trilogy,” was published last year.

Cox said the world had lost “an author of exceptional genius.”

“The Fault in Our Stars” author John Green tweeted that Peet was “one of the greatest YA writers and a man I greatly admired (even when we disagreed!)”

Peet is survived by his wife, three children and two grandchildren.

]]>http://wwlp.com/ap/british-young-adult-author-mal-peet-dies-at-67/feed/0Tue, 03 Mar 2015 17:56:55 +0000linrobbiebyrdAndrew Lack in talks to return to NBChttp://wwlp.com/ap/andrew-lack-in-talks-to-return-to-nbc/
http://wwlp.com/ap/andrew-lack-in-talks-to-return-to-nbc/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 17:26:16 +0000http://wwlp.com/ap/andrew-lack-in-talks-to-return-to-nbc/]]>NEW YORK (AP) — NBC Universal is in talks to bring back Andrew Lack to its troubled news operation, which would be the first high-level shake-up following several rough months culminating in the six-month suspension of “Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams for misleading viewers about his experiences covering the Iraq War.

An executive at NBC Universal who spoke on condition of anonymity because it was a personnel matter said that if an agreement was reached, Lack, a veteran executive who ran NBC’s news division from 1993 to 2001, would return in a lead role at the NBC News Group, which includes NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC.

NBC Universal spokesman Mark Kornblau declined to comment on the negotiations, first reported in Variety on Tuesday. A spokesman at the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which Lack currently runs, did not immediately return a call for comment.

It would mark Lack’s second time returning to NBC News at a time of trouble. After more than 15 years at CBS News as a top producer, he replaced Michael Gartner as NBC News chief following revelations the network had rigged a pickup truck to catch fire in a crash shown on “Dateline NBC.”

After serving as news chief at NBC, he became network president before leaving in 2003 to become chairman of Sony Music Entertainment. He left the music business for Bloomberg Media, spending six years there before becoming chief executive at the Broadcasting Board of Governors, a federal agency, last year.

He would bring extensive news experience in the U.S. market to a leadership team that now lacks it. Pat Fili-Krushel, who now runs the NBC News Group, is a veteran TV executive with a background mostly in entertainment and NBC News President Deborah Turness came to the network from ITV News in Great Britain. Both are expected to remain with NBC Universal, although their future roles are unclear, the executive said.

The biggest issue Lack would immediately face is the future of Williams, currently the target of an internal investigation into other instances where he may have told untrue or exaggerated stories about his news experiences, often in entertainment settings. There are conflicting feelings, even within NBC News, about whether Williams would ever be able to return as the network’s top on-air personality. Lester Holt is filling in for Williams and has kept “Nightly News” atop the ratings, although its edge over second-place ABC’s “World News Tonight” has shrunk.

“Nightly News” and Williams had been the bright spot at NBC News, where the “Today” show hasn’t been able to cut into the ratings lead of ABC’s “Good Morning America” and saw the embarrassing saga of a new executive overseeing the show being let go after only a couple of months last fall. Turness engineered the replacement of David Gregory as “Meet the Press” host by Chuck Todd last year. NBC angered viewers last fall when medical correspondent Nancy Snyderman violated a self-imposed quarantine for potential Ebola exposure.

CNBC and MSNBC also present challenges, primarily due to declining ratings.

CNBC had some of its worst ratings since the late 1990s last year, and recently announced it had stopped relying on the Nielsen company, the industry standard for measuring viewership. CNBC has long contended Nielsen’s failure to measure workplace viewing underestimates its audience, but the network has also been challenged by the business world’s increased reliance on the Internet for fast-moving news.

The left-leaning news network MSNBC has also lost viewers, and is said to be re-evaluating the extent to which it emphasizes a political point of view or more straight news.

]]>http://wwlp.com/ap/apollo-theater-to-honor-blues-singer-billie-holiday/feed/0Tue, 03 Mar 2015 18:36:21 +0000linrobbiebyrdArtists to curate new performance series at Kennedy Centerhttp://wwlp.com/ap/artists-to-curate-new-performance-series-at-kennedy-center/
http://wwlp.com/ap/artists-to-curate-new-performance-series-at-kennedy-center/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 16:46:03 +0000http://wwlp.com/ap/artists-to-curate-new-performance-series-at-kennedy-center/]]>WASHINGTON (AP) — A new performance series curated by leading artists will help define a new programming slate at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts under its new president, along with festivals celebrating Ireland and something unexpected: skateboarding culture.

Jazz pianist Jason Moran, dancer Damian Woetzel, mandolinist Chris Thile from the bands Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek and composer Mason Bates will be the first artists crafting programs that cross traditional artistic genres, said Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter in announcing plans Tuesday. To open the center’s new season in September, Moran will break out of his traditional jazz role to lead a festival on skateboarding, music and media — complete with an outdoor skateboarding ramp.

The new artist-led series is one of a few changes Rutter is making to the center’s presentation as she seeks to have artists engage more directly with audiences.

“I want to put the artists more centrally in the discussion about what we do, why we do it, how we do it and how it reflects our society,” Rutter said. “If we only ever do what is expected of us … if we give art to you, as opposed to having a dynamic relationship, we’re never going to advance art. That’s what artists will tell you.”

The 2015-16 season includes more than 2,000 performances in music, theater and dance — making the center one of the nation’s busiest performing arts venues. An international festival celebrating Irish arts and culture in 2016 will mark the centennial of Ireland’s move toward independence, dating back to the Easter Rising in 1916. Organizers noted President John F. Kennedy, for whom the center is a memorial, was the first Irish-American president.

The programming slate totals more than $125 million of the center’s nearly $200 million budget, said spokeswoman Amanda Hunter. That represents a slight increase in spending due to major commitments for a European tour of the affiliated National Symphony Orchestra and the first-ever Washington National Opera production of Richard Wagner’s “Ring” cycle. Rutter said the four-opera cycle will be a “critical pinnacle of our season.”

The center will also broaden its approach to classical music with two new series showcasing the National Symphony Orchestra. “Declassified: Fridays@9″ will offer a later start time, a mix of classic and modern music, and cocktails allowed in the concert hall. Pop star Ben Folds will open the series. The orchestra will also offer “Coffee Concerts” for audiences during daytime hours.

In theater, the season does not include any major new theater projects produced by the Kennedy Center, however, following last year’s revival of “Side Show” that moved to Broadway and the center’s first new musical “Little Dancer.” Still, Rutter said it’s important to maintain the center’s “important role in theater” going forward, and she wants to take time to work with producers on future plans.

Six national touring shows booked for 2015 and 2016 include: “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” ”Matilda the Musical,” ”A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” ”Kinky Boots,” ”The Bridges of Madison County” and “The Phantom of the Opera.”

]]>http://wwlp.com/ap/artists-to-curate-new-performance-series-at-kennedy-center/feed/0Tue, 03 Mar 2015 17:06:20 +0000linrobbiebyrdCarrie Underwood becomes a mom, gives birth to a boyhttp://wwlp.com/ap/carrie-underwood-becomes-a-mom-gives-birth-to-a-boy/
http://wwlp.com/ap/carrie-underwood-becomes-a-mom-gives-birth-to-a-boy/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 16:46:02 +0000http://wwlp.com/ap/carrie-underwood-becomes-a-mom-gives-birth-to-a-boy/]]>NEW YORK (AP) — Carrie Underwood is a new mom, and like all proud parents, she’s showing him off in a photo.

The multiplatinum country singer gave birth to Isaiah Michael Fisher on Friday, and on Tuesday, she announced it to the world on Twitter. She posted a picture of Isaiah, showing his tiny hand and a bit of his mouth.

He’s the first child for Underwood, 31, and her husband, Mike Fisher, who plays for the National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators.

]]>http://wwlp.com/ap/carrie-underwood-becomes-a-mom-gives-birth-to-a-boy/feed/0Tue, 03 Mar 2015 17:06:17 +0000linrobbiebyrdGame Developers Conference offers creators a sporting chancehttp://wwlp.com/ap/game-developers-conference-offers-creators-a-sporting-chance/
http://wwlp.com/ap/game-developers-conference-offers-creators-a-sporting-chance/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 16:26:45 +0000http://wwlp.com/ap/game-developers-conference-offers-creators-a-sporting-chance/]]>SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — With tens of millions of gamers now regularly spectating video games online and in real-world arenas, game developers looking to create the next “StarCraft” or “League of Legends” might learn a few lessons at this year’s Game Developers Conference.

For the first time, the annual gathering of game creators that’s usually centered on polygons and artificial intelligence, was hosting a special summit Tuesday dedicated to competitive gaming — or esports (e-sports), as it’s known. Influential esports figures were scheduled to give talks with such titles as “Legal Issues in Competitive Gaming” and “Building a Sport: The Design Philosophy of ‘League of Legends.'”

“We’ve had a few individual esports talks in the past but nothing stand-alone,” said Simon Carless, executive vice president at UBM Tech Game Network, which hosts GDC and other technology conferences. “This is an entire day dedicated to esports that covers an entire breadth of topics, from producing live esports events to including more women in esports.”

Over the past 10 years, esports has evolved from a niche genre of gaming to a lucrative spectator sport capable of packing arenas like Los Angeles’ Staples Center and Seoul’s World Cup Stadium to capacity for championship bouts of “League of Legends,” the arena battle game developed by Riot Games that’s easy for most folks to play but difficult to master.

Carless said a survey by GDC organizers of more than 200,000 developers found 79 percent believe competitive gaming is a sustainable business model and 12 percent were currently working on an esports-style competitive multiplayer game. The rise of spectating games is already reshaping how many designers are approaching their latest creations from the outset.

“There are a lot of people watching games and not playing them, so that’s definitely a consideration for future projects,” said Chris Ashton, design director at “Evolve” developer Turtle Rock Studios. “I don’t know what that means for the industry. I never thought I would watch someone play through a game, but I have done that on YouTube and enjoyed it.”

Despite dedicating a day to esports, most attention at this year’s GDC, which runs through Friday at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, will likely be focused on virtual reality, as it was last year. VR technology utilizes a head-mounted display in concert with head-tracking capabilities to transport wearers’ to virtual worlds. Oculus VR, which Facebook bought for $2 billion last year, is returning to GDC with several talks about how developers can craft games for its VR platform.

Sony, which unveiled a prototype VR headset at the 2014 conference called Project Morpheus, is expected to provide an update at an off-site, invite-only event Tuesday on its rendition of VR that works in tandem with the PlayStation 4 console. Thus far, both Oculus and Sony have only shown off prototypes at GDC and not revealed a price or release date.

After announcing their own VR headset on Sunday, HTC and Valve are expected to be on hand at GDC to demonstrate the device called Vive, which works with exterior base stations to track users’ movements in spaces up to 15 feet by 15 feet. HTC said it plans to release a Vive prototype for developers this spring and a consumer edition sometime later this year.

The private Winston-Salem university said Tuesday that Colbert will offer graduating students his thoughts on facing their futures on May 18.

Colbert has given commencement speeches at the University of Virginia in 2013 and his alma mater of Northwestern University in 2011. Wake Forest students last year heard from former New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson a week after her dismissal.

Colbert wrapped up nine years of hosting Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report” in December. He’s taking over the “Late Show” on CBS from the retiring David Letterman in September.

Wake Forest’s commencement is reserved for graduates and guests, but the school plans to webcast the ceremony live.

]]>http://wwlp.com/2015/03/03/video-view-17/feed/0Tue, 03 Mar 2015 17:19:09 +0000Video ViewwwlpashleyshookChilina Kennedy on finding the ‘joy’ of Carole King on B’wayhttp://wwlp.com/ap/chilina-kennedy-on-finding-the-joy-of-carole-king-on-bway/
http://wwlp.com/ap/chilina-kennedy-on-finding-the-joy-of-carole-king-on-bway/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 14:06:02 +0000http://wwlp.com/ap/chilina-kennedy-on-finding-the-joy-of-carole-king-on-bway/]]>NEW YORK (AP) — The last time Broadway theatergoers got to see Chilina Kennedy, she was portraying Mary Magdalene. Now she’s returned to play someone much more contemporary — songwriter Carole King.

Kennedy replaces Jessie Mueller in “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” this weekend, taking over such hits as “So Far Away” and “Will You Love Me Tomorrow.”

The Canadian actress has been on tour with “Mamma Mia!” starred in the world premiere of “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” before it came to New York, and was in “Jesus Christ Superstar” in 2012 on Broadway.

As if playing King wasn’t enough, Kennedy also is juggling a few side projects — a 5-month-old son, Henry, with her partner, the actor Jacob James, and a 12-song CD of original tunes coming soon called “What You Find in a Bottle.”

The Associated Press caught up with the actress and asked about her special name, her new baby boy and how Carole King has altered her art.

AP: Your first name is unusual? Where does it come from?

Kennedy: It’s Corsican. It has nothing to do with my background, unfortunately. I can’t say I’m Corsican. My mom actually read it in a book when she was a little girl, and she and my dad have known each other since they were in grade four. So they had this name picked out since they were kids.

AP: Were you a musical baby?

Kennedy: I loved it right from the beginning. My mom always talks about the times she would play her guitar when she was pregnant with me, and my whole body would move to rest against the guitar. She would play for hours and I would lie there, enjoying the vibrations.

AP: You play the piano already. Does that help portraying King?

Kennedy: It’s sort of ironic because Carol King was always very comfortable playing — it was her voice that she was nervous about. For me it’s the opposite: I start shaking when I have to play in front of people but singing is a little easier for me. So it’s been a great exercise in confidence building.

AP: Has King influenced you as a singer-songwriter?

Kennedy: I had this melody written for, I think, about a year or two years and I didn’t know what to do with it. It felt like a Gaelic lullaby. I didn’t know what it was for and then, all of a sudden, he was born. I sat in my apartment and I write the whole thing in one night. It was a song for my son. This whole time it was brewing. So, in a way, Carole King influenced that, for sure.

AP: You’re both playing King and taking over from an actress who won a Tony. Any pressure?

Kennedy: I think the trick for me is just staying in the moment. If you think about the mountain, you can’t climb it. All you have to do is just think about the steps that are right in front of you. If I’m really doing my job, there’s no time for worrying about pressure or any of that kind of stuff. The job fills my whole being.

AP: How are you approaching King?

Kennedy: She always has a wonderful smile on her face. It’s like she’s sharing some personal secret with you every time she sings. I think if you can get that joy and that flavor, then you’ve got her. The rest is all details.

AP: Is your son growing up with music like you were?

Kennedy: He bounces around in the kitchen. We play music and we dance and we sing. He loves when I sing. I sing for him all the time. I was performing up until I was seven months pregnant. It’s funny because I play the songs that he was listening to when he was inside me and I’m sure he recognizes them.

]]>http://wwlp.com/ap/chilina-kennedy-on-finding-the-joy-of-carole-king-on-bway/feed/0Tue, 03 Mar 2015 16:16:29 +0000Theater-Q&A-Chilina KennedylinrobbiebyrdPublisher moves up release for Hirsi Ali book ‘Heretic’http://wwlp.com/ap/publisher-moves-up-release-for-hirsi-ali-book-heretic/
http://wwlp.com/ap/publisher-moves-up-release-for-hirsi-ali-book-heretic/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 14:06:01 +0000http://wwlp.com/ap/publisher-moves-up-release-for-hirsi-ali-book-heretic/]]>NEW YORK (AP) — The release date for the latest book by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a women’s rights advocate and leading critic of Islam, has been moved up from late April to March 24.

HarperCollins Publishers announced the new date Tuesday for Hirsi Ali’s “Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now.” The book includes her thoughts on the January shootings in Paris at the offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. Her editor, Adam Bellow, said Hirsi Ali’s “timely and important” message should be heard as soon as possible.

The Somali-born Hirsi Ali is a Muslim atheist who emigrated to the U.S. in 2006 after facing death threats in the Netherlands, where she had been a member of parliament and a target for extremists.

The foundation says it intends to make extensive renovations to the property and convert it into the nation’s first fully accessible, “smart home” dedicated to serving the recreational and reintegration needs of combat-wounded veterans.

The estate was placed on the market last summer for $765,000, but the foundation did not announce the purchase price.

Arden built the main house in the town of Rome as her summer estate in the 1920s and later established the Maine Chance Spa at the site. Mamie Eisenhower, Judy Garland, and Ava Gardner were among the guests.

The property once covered 1,200 acres but was subdivided after Arden’s 1966 death.

The Northeast Ohio Media Group (http://bit.ly/1BQTYHN ) reports the subsidy was approved by Cleveland City Council on Monday. The city paid the same amount in 2012 when it last hosted the ceremony, which also rotates to New York and Los Angeles.

The city’s chief of government and international affairs told the council that the local contribution for future induction ceremonies will be paid through an approved tax on hotel rooms in Cleveland and area suburbs.

The ceremony also will have a corporate sponsor.

This year’s event is at Cleveland’s Public Hall. Inductees include the punk trio Green Day, ex-Beatle Ringo Starr and “Lean on Me” singer Bill Withers.

The Northeast Ohio Media Group (http://bit.ly/1BQTYHN ) reports the subsidy was approved by Cleveland City Council on Monday. The city paid the same amount in 2012 when it last hosted the ceremony, which also rotates to New York and Los Angeles.

The city’s chief of government and international affairs told the council that the local contribution for future induction ceremonies will be paid through an approved tax on hotel rooms in Cleveland and area suburbs.

The ceremony also will have a corporate sponsor.

This year’s event is at Cleveland’s Public Hall. Inductees include the punk trio Green Day, ex-Beatle Ringo Starr and “Lean on Me” singer Bill Withers.

]]>http://wwlp.com/ap/cleveland-spending-500000-as-host-of-rock-hall-induction/feed/0Tue, 03 Mar 2015 13:05:59 +0000linrobbiebyrdSimon Rattle named music director of London Symphonyhttp://wwlp.com/ap/simon-rattle-named-music-director-of-london-symphony/
http://wwlp.com/ap/simon-rattle-named-music-director-of-london-symphony/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 12:35:59 +0000http://wwlp.com/ap/simon-rattle-named-music-director-of-london-symphony/]]>LONDON (AP) — Conductor Simon Rattle is swapping a podium in Berlin for one in Britain, taking over as music director of the London Symphony Orchestra.

The LSO announced Tuesday that Rattle, who has led the Berlin Philharmonic since 2002, will join the London ensemble in September 2017.

Liverpool-born Rattle, one of the world’s most acclaimed conductors, said he was thrilled to be “coming home” to the LSO, whose principal conductors have included Edward Elgar, Andre Previn and current chief Valery Gergiev.

The 60-year-old conductor told reporters in London that the appointment, initially for five years, would be his last major job in music.

His Berlin contract ends in 2018, and he said he would juggle the two jobs for the 2017-18 season.

Rattle said he would focus on ensuring that as many people as possible — and especially children — have access to classical music, and in finding ways to spread the musical message through rapidly evolving digital media.

“We are all responsible for what happens to our art form,” he said. “We have to be evangelists, not just high priests.”

Rattle also hopes to build a new concert hall for the orchestra, which is currently based at London’s Barbican Centre, a multipurpose arts venue. Britain’s Treasury chief, George Osborne, has backed the idea, and a feasibility study will be carried out this year.

Rattle is well known to British audiences through tours and guest-conducting stints, and reached a global television audience when he conducted the LSO and Rowan Atkinson’s comic character Mr. Bean at the opening of the 2012 London Olympics.

He declined to say which orchestra was better, Berlin or London.

“Yes, I’m leaving a world-class orchestra, and I’m coming to another, very different type of world-class orchestra,” he said. “Fortunately, as a wine lover, there’s not only one kind of wine you can drink.”

Los Angeles Philharmonic presenter Laura Connelly says the June 13-14 festival at the Hollywood Bowl offers a mix of “jazz icons, emerging artists and new talent.”

The lineup, announced Tuesday, features Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter with the Monk Institute of Jazz Performance Ensemble, while trumpeter Terence Blanchard showcases his new electric E-Collective.

]]>http://wwlp.com/ap/playboy-jazz-festival-to-pay-tribute-to-gerald-wilson/feed/0Tue, 03 Mar 2015 13:56:39 +0000linrobbiebyrdNYC’s last classical sheet music store to closehttp://wwlp.com/ap/nycs-last-classical-sheet-music-store-to-close/
http://wwlp.com/ap/nycs-last-classical-sheet-music-store-to-close/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 11:36:00 +0000http://wwlp.com/ap/nycs-last-classical-sheet-music-store-to-close/]]>NEW YORK (AP) — It’s a sad day for classical music lovers. New York City’s last classical sheet music store is closing for good on Friday.

Frank Music Company says poor sales due to scores being readily available online were to blame.

The retail store on West 54th Street has supplied generations of instrumentalists, singers and composers with classical sheet music.

Owner Heidi Rogers tells the Wall Street Journal (http://on.wsj.com/1vXuENq ) the number of customers she sees per day has dwindled from a high of 20 to two or three.

The store opened in 1937. Some of its celebrity customers included pianist Emanuel Ax and violinist Pamela Frank.

Its stock of hundreds of thousands of scores has been purchased by an anonymous donor as a gift for the Colburn School music conservatory in Los Angeles.

(CNN) – A popular Matthew McConaughey Lincoln commercial has already been spoofed by SNL and Ellen DeGeneres. Now, a Texas police department is getting in on the fun.

“I know there are those that say you can’t go back, but yes you can.” He rides around looking dapper and speaking about abstract thoughts that can be interpreted however you want. “Where you been. How you got here. See where you’re going.”

Now, meet Cedar Hill Police sergeant Larry Wise’s version. “You don’t get into police work cus it makes sense. You do it cus you thought it really looked cool on TV. Or cus med school was just out of the question.”

With a little a bit of humor and that Texas drawl, the police sergeant’s parody video is now going viral. Sergeant Wise says, “It was supposed to be just an in-house video for our awards banquet.”

However, the likes on Facebook and views on YouTube are racking up, making this spoof one of the funnier things we’ve seen any cop around north Texas do lately. Wise says, “There’s always a way to see the funny aspects of life.” That’s exactly the message Sergeant Wise is hoping to spread with the video.

In a time when communities and local police are clashing almost daily, he says this should show many of them are community members with a sense of humor like the rest of us. “We laugh at the same things, we enjoy the same things, and no, we’re not just robots programmed to ticket and arrest.”

They also aren’t Matthew McConaughey, but some are halfway decent actors. “I like being in here, driving around all night long, contemplating the important question of life.”

Van Eaton Galleries says nearly 1,000 items — including a bird from the Enchanted Tiki Room and an original “Pirates of the Caribbean” skeleton — brought in $1.7 million during a weekend auction held online and in Sherman Oaks, California.

Bids came from around the world.

The top seller was a green 1970s-era animatronic Tiki Room bird, which fetched $153,400. The 1967 “Pirates” skeleton, which holds a cutlass and chugs from a bottle, went for $153,400.

Other items offered by the anonymous collector were the original Frontierland cigar store Indian, a 1960s Mark Twain Riverboat life preserver, a doll from “It’s a Small World” and poster artwork for “Captain EO.”

Prices included a buyer’s premium, which is an additional charge on the winning bid.

Van Eaton Galleries says nearly 1,000 items — including a bird from the Enchanted Tiki Room and an original “Pirates of the Caribbean” skeleton — brought in $1.7 million during a weekend auction held online and in Sherman Oaks, California.

Bids came from around the world.

The top seller was a green 1970s-era animatronic Tiki Room bird, which fetched $153,400. The 1967 “Pirates” skeleton, which holds a cutlass and chugs from a bottle, went for $129,800.

Other items offered by the anonymous collector were the original Frontierland cigar store Indian, a 1960s Mark Twain Riverboat life preserver, a doll from “It’s a Small World” and poster artwork for “Captain EO.”

Prices included a buyer’s premium, which is an additional charge on the winning bid.

The Yale School of Music, where Laderman was dean from 1989 to 1995, announced his death on its website. The school said he died Saturday, but didn’t give a cause.

His operas included “Marilyn,” based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, which premiered at the New York City Opera in 1993, and he wrote the music for Oscar-winning documentaries “The Eleanor Roosevelt Story” and “Black Fox.”

He wrote for soloists like Yo-Yo Ma and led numerous professional organizations, including a stint as president of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

He remained a professor at the Yale School of Music until he retired in 2013.

]]>http://wwlp.com/ap/tena-stivicics-3-winters-wins-blackburn-prize/feed/0Tue, 03 Mar 2015 02:56:41 +0000linrobbiebyrdReview: Love is tested in ‘The Mystery of Love & Sex’http://wwlp.com/ap/review-love-is-tested-in-the-mystery-of-love-sex/
http://wwlp.com/ap/review-love-is-tested-in-the-mystery-of-love-sex/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 01:46:13 +0000http://wwlp.com/ap/review-love-is-tested-in-the-mystery-of-love-sex/]]>NEW YORK (AP) — Love and sex are both pretty big topics, and while Bathsheba Doran’s new play, “The Mystery of Love & Sex,” illuminates both with gentle humor, it’s also about how secrets can test the bonds of friendship and love.

Lincoln Center Theater commissioned the play from Doran, who also wrote “Kin” (at Playwrights Horizons) and is a writer on the HBO series, “Boardwalk Empire.” The quirky, bittersweet relationship drama is filled with one-liners and jokes that are often politically incorrect but funny. An engaging production, directed with compassion and sensitivity by Sam Gold, opened Monday night off-Broadway at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater.

Tony Shalhoub (a Tony nominee for “Act One” and “Golden Boy,” and a multiple Emmy winner for the TV series “Monk”) plays a charmingly condescending, witty liberal Jewish author named Howard, living in Georgia and long married to a smart Southerner, Lucinda (Diane Lane). Shalhoub is a delight, making Howard lovable despite his pompous pronouncements and latent racism and homophobia. Lane (returning to the New York stage after almost 40 years) is quite winning as well, smartly underplaying the Southern belle.

Their daughter Charlotte (Gayle Rankin) is attending college along with her best friend, Jonny, (Mamoudou Athie), an African-American neighbor who is considered part of the family. Charlotte is unhappily discovering repressed sexual orientations, and Rankin is sweetly expressive, sensitively presenting Charlotte’s insecurities, depression and exuberances with equal flair. Athie is serious, stiff and cautious as Jonny, who loves Charlotte as his best friend but that’s as far as he wants to take it.

Gold, who recently directed “The Real Thing” on Broadway, is expert at allowing the actors to reveal little everyday epiphanies in Doran’s seemingly mundane scenes. Charlotte’s and Jonny’s friendship falls apart, reforms, and falls apart again over a period of five years. Lucinda rebels against her sexless marriage, and there are some bitter battles between the parents, between both young people, and between Jonny and Howard.

Doran’s off-beat dialogue includes unconsciously prejudiced things people say in real life that contain humorous kernels of truth regarding religion, race and homophobia. Jonny tells Charlotte her father is “a pushy Jew,” which shocks her, so he adds, “You’ve said it a thousand times. Nothing wrong with being a pushy Jew. Without pushy Jews we wouldn’t have Hollywood.”

Despite many arguments and estrangements, and anger over secrets, Doran’s play is ultimately about the endurance of all kinds of love.

]]>http://wwlp.com/ap/review-love-is-tested-in-the-mystery-of-love-sex/feed/0Tue, 03 Mar 2015 02:17:22 +0000linrobbiebyrdSalonga says she is in talks on taking role in “Allegiance”http://wwlp.com/ap/salonga-says-she-is-in-talks-on-taking-role-in-allegiance/
http://wwlp.com/ap/salonga-says-she-is-in-talks-on-taking-role-in-allegiance/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 01:05:59 +0000http://wwlp.com/ap/salonga-says-she-is-in-talks-on-taking-role-in-allegiance/]]>MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Tony award winner Lea Salonga says talks have not yet been finalized on her joining the cast of George Takei’s musical “Allegiance” on Broadway, but added it is a show she wants to be part of.

The Broadway veteran played the lead female role Kei Kimura when the musical made its sold-out premiere in 2012 at the Old Globe in San Diego, California,

“Star Trek” actor Takei’s personal and heartfelt show about Japanese-Americans imprisoned during World War II goes to Broadway this fall with him in a starring role.

“Of course I’d like to be a part of it, if only to be part of something that’s very important in Broadway history,” Salonga told The Associated Press in a telephone interview late Monday.

But she said things were still being discussed by her agent and the show producers, so she could not say if she will be part of the musical.

“Allegiance” is multigenerational tale with two love stories that’s framed by a Japanese-American war veteran looking back on his family’s time in a Wyoming internment camp. Previews begin Oct. 6. It will mark the first Asian-led cast of a musical on Broadway in more than a decade, since “Flower Drum Song.”

The story of “Allegiance” covers an important part of American history, when tens of thousands of Asian-Americans were put in camps just because they looked like the enemy, said Salonga. “This kind of prejudice and bigotry is actually still happening,” added the 44-year-old Salonga. “It’s still relevant and that’s the sad and scary part of it.” She said with very few Asian-led musicals on Broadway, “Allegiance” is “a big, big deal” and also excites her because it will be another milestone for Takei.

The actor famous for playing Hikaru Sulu in “Star Trek” turned his childhood memories in an internment camp into the musical. “George Takei who is almost 80 years old is going to make his Broadway debut which is really, really exciting for me as a friend of his and as one who worked with him and he’s somebody I used to watch on TV when I was a kid,” she added. Takei turns 78 next month.

Salonga — the original “Miss Saigon” in London and New York who also starred in the Broadway revival of “Flower Drum Song” in 2002 — will have a concert on March 14 at the Town Hall in New York. She has also been busy as a coach in “The Voice of the Philippines” singing contest that ended its second season Sunday. She continues as coach in the next season of the kid’s edition of the contest. Salonga said she loves grooming the next generation of artists in the Philippine music industry. “It’s something I would like to do even off camera, even when I’m not in front of an audience,” she said.

Nelson Shanks told the Philadelphia Daily News that a shadow beside Clinton is a literal reference to the dress and a symbolic nod to the shadow the affair cast on his presidency.

“If you look at the left-hand side of it there’s a mantle in the Oval Office and I put a shadow coming into the painting,” Shanks told the newspaper.

“The Clintons hate the portrait,” he said. “They want it removed from the National Portrait Gallery. They’re putting a lot of pressure on them.”

The National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., commissioned the 2006 painting and had it on display until about three years ago. It’s one of 55 images of Clinton that rotate on and off display, spokeswoman Bethany Bentley said.

She said she is unaware of any pressure from the Clintons to have it removed from the collection. Nor had she heard the artist previously comment on his use of imagery.

“That’s the first time we’ve heard of those comments,” Bentley said.

A Clinton spokesman did not immediately return an email message seeking comment.

The stained dress became a piece of evidence in Ken Starr’s special investigation of the 42nd president.

Shanks, 77, has painted Princess Diana, Pope John Paul II and other luminaries. He has two pieces currently on display at the portrait gallery, one of opera singer Denyce Graves and the other of the four female Supreme Court justices.

So reads an ad for the Detroit Institute of Arts’ upcoming exhibition on the year that artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo spent in Detroit in the 1930s.

“Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Detroit” opens March 15 and runs through July 12. The couple spent time in Detroit while Rivera created murals for the museum as a tribute to Detroit’s manufacturing industry. The murals depict workers, bosses, equipment and the benefits and dangers of industrialization.

—”Diego and Frida’s Detroit: Bus Tour,” March 21 and April 10, exploring the city from Rivera and Kahlo’s perspective through themes that defined Detroit in that era.

—”Visual Biographies: Portraits at Ford House,” tour of Edsel & Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan, April 18, May 2, and May 16, focusing on portraits as visual biographies, including Rivera’s portrait of Edsel Ford.

]]>http://wwlp.com/ap/new-and-now-diego-rivera-frida-kahlo-at-detroit-art-museum/feed/0Tue, 03 Mar 2015 03:56:03 +0000linrobbiebyrdVote to feature Boston on new Monopoly game boardhttp://wwlp.com/2015/03/02/vote-to-feature-boston-on-new-monopoly-game-board/
http://wwlp.com/2015/03/02/vote-to-feature-boston-on-new-monopoly-game-board/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 23:00:27 +0000http://wwlp.com/?p=160318]]>Boston could be featured in the next version of Monopoly called “Monopoly Here and Now.”

Twenty American cities will be featured as property spaces in the new game. The highest ranking city will get the coveted “BOARDWALK” spot.

]]>http://wwlp.com/2015/03/02/vote-to-feature-boston-on-new-monopoly-game-board/feed/0Tue, 03 Mar 2015 00:25:45 +0000monopoly-here-and-nowwwlpashleyshookReview: ‘Second Best’ Marigold Hotel lives up to its titlehttp://wwlp.com/ap/review-second-best-marigold-hotel-lives-up-to-its-title/
http://wwlp.com/ap/review-second-best-marigold-hotel-lives-up-to-its-title/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 22:26:20 +0000http://wwlp.com/ap/review-second-best-marigold-hotel-lives-up-to-its-title/]]>If you’re going to do a movie sequel that doesn’t quite measure up to the original and seems rather hurriedly cobbled together, well, OK. Many filmmakers have done the same.

But actually putting the words “Second Best” in the title? Now, that’s just asking for the unflattering comparisons.

This isn’t to say that “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” — so named after an actual hotel in the movie — won’t appeal to the same fans who flocked to the first film. And it’s hard to quibble over the value of spending two hours with the likes of Judi Dench and Maggie Smith. Indeed, Smith’s exasperated rant over the state of lukewarm tea in the United States is alone worth the price of a ticket.

But much of the film feels like a hastily arranged class reunion, where you show up but have less to talk about than last time. You still have some fun, but, like a cup of — er — lukewarm tea, it’s definitely second best.

The sequel brings us back to Jaipur, India, a few years after the British retirees first made their home in the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, where they discovered that although the place wasn’t as luxurious as advertised, it was full of life — and life lessons.

Sonny (Dev Patel), the ambitious and very talkative co-manager, is his usual hyperactive self, taking roll call every morning of the elderly residents, who’ve all settled into some sort of productive activity.

There’s the widowed Evelyn (Dench), now a textile buyer for an overseas company. There’s her would-be beau, Douglas (Bill Nighy), who’s trying to summon the guts to declare his love, while serving as the least-qualified tour guide in all of India. There’s romance-starved Madge (Celia Imrie), dallying simultaneously with two rich suitors, and there’s Norman (Ronald Pickup), the playboy who’s now seeking a different kind of happiness.

And there’s Muriel (Smith), now Sonny’s co-manager, keeping him as grounded and practical as she can.

The film, directed by John Madden (who wrote the script with Ol Parker) opens with Muriel and Sonny on a road trip to a California retirement company they’re hoping will fund Sonny’s franchise dreams. Sonny’s plan centers on buying a second hotel — to be christened, of course, “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.”

Back in India, Sonny is too obsessed with his plan to pay any attention to his impending wedding — an obvious source of frustration to his fiancee, lovely Sunaina (Tina Desai). And he’s so driven that when a guest named Guy Chambers (Richard Gere) shows up — and yes, that does sound like a porn star, but actually he’s a novelist — Sonny’s convinced he’s the inspector that the retirement company’s CEO said he’d send, incognito, to check out the place. Much stress ensues.

As Chambers, the silver-haired Gere is sure to cause a frisson with the ladies, both onscreen and in the theater, but Gere pretty much floats through the film without much exertion — and the suddenness of his attraction to Sonny’s mother (Lillete Dubey) is not very convincing.

Also perturbing is a subplot involving a potentially sad fate for one of the characters. It’s hinted at strongly and then dropped, or at least made so subtle that you wonder if, mid-shoot, the filmmakers changed their minds.

In any case, it all boils down to that final wedding scene. Without spoiling much, we can tell you the colors are gorgeous (check out Sunaina’s red sari), and as for the obligatory dance sequence — it may be obligatory, but it’s huge fun. Keep your eyes on Patel: he’s having a ball, and it’s infectious. If the rest of the film were this appealing, it wouldn’t feel “second best” at all.

“The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” a 20th Century Fox release, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America “for some language and suggestive comments.” Running time: 122 minutes. Two stars out of four.